A program for the research/development of a reflective, near infrared glucose analyzer is proposed. The design approach allows for an optical computing approach to signal processing and pattern recognition that has the potential for a compact, low-cost instrument for diabetic home testing.The basic feasibility of reflective, near infrared measurement of blood glucose has been experimentally demonstrated in previous research. The proposed research program will extend and specialize previous near infrared measurements using a proprietary analytical method that will be implemented as a custom-designed analog optical processing element.